CANNABIS LIFE

THE GOLDEN STATE TURNING GREEN

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEMP & MARIJUANA

The classification of the two plants

Talking about hemp and marijuana as if they were one in the same is the equivalent of saying that you and your cousin should have identical eye colors, blood types, and thought processes.

Many people tend to use the terms hemp and marijuana interchangeably. However, they are two distinct plants with unique compounds that have individual reactions when introduced to the body. The only valid explanation for this seamless association is the fact that they both belong to the same botanical family.

There are major differences between hemp and marijuana from a scientific and a legal standpoint. Before explaining just what those difference are, it is important to get an understanding as to where the plants came from, and how they came to be the hemp and marijuana we use in present day.

Hemp and marijuana are both derivatives of the Cannabis sativa plant family. One of the oldest domesticated crops in human civilization, all Cannabis sativa plants were used for a variety of reasons. Due to the crop’s sturdy texture it was suitable for fabric and rope. As time passed, other plants with similar characteristics were bred with Cannabis sativa, making the plant known today as hemp.

WHAT IS CBD (CANNABIDIOL)?

The science behind the molecules

Running out of options, the young girl’s family moved to Colorado, one of the few states at the time that had medical marijuana as an option. It was in Colorado where Charlotte was treated with CBD oil. A year later, she was living a fully functioning life and only suffering a couple of seizures a month.

There is a reason why medical marijuana has gained more steam than your favorite vaporizer. Each year, an increasing number of states vote in favor of this form of medicine. The movement that has lead to the sweeping legalization of marijuana can be pointed to the day the world was introduced to CBD oil.

Before marijuana legalization started sweeping the States, the plant had a stigma attached to it. Prior to ever hearing the term, “medical marijuana,” novices to the concept presumed cannabis was a recreational drug that would lead you down the rabbit hole to worse situations such as meth or heroin. After all, that’s what people have been taught for generations.

These fears were caused by a trickling down effect of generational folklore based off anti-cannabis propaganda that dates back to the 30’s with Reefer Madness all the way to the “War on Drugs” Nixon-era of the 70’s. A large section of the population’s only introduction to marijuana was through extreme caricatures acting unlike any typical marijuana experience. However, this stigma has latched on through the generations. Like many evolutionary changes in society, it’s been a slow roll-out, but marijuana legalization has gained some traction.

HOW CBD IS DIFFERENT FROM THC

The psychoactive effects of tetrahydrocannabinol

Instead of giving your body a high, medical marijuana has the ability to give relief to life-threatening ailments. This night-and-day distinction tells the tale of two different cannabinoids that give cannabis its distinct qualities- THC and CBD.

It was the best of the times…or it was the highest of times. That’s the difference between the two main chemical components that comprise medical marijuana. One will have your body feeling relief from everyday pains, while the other…will get you high. Here are the major differences between THC and CBD.

Before medical marijuana became such a hot-button issue in the news, cannabis was widely known as a recreational drug. However, as medical marijuana has garnered more press and people have become better educated on the healing abilities of cannabis, they have learned that not all cannabis products are psychoactive.

Within the tiny hairs that grow around the buds of members of the Cannabis sativa family lives over 100 unique molecules called cannabinoids. When these cannabinoids come into contact with receptors in the brain, called endocannabinoid receptors, a chemical reaction occurs. This particular reaction depends on what ailments your body is suffering from, and what time of foreign chemicals are floating about in your body. Nonetheless, whatever the reaction may be, for the most part it will be a positive one.

SATIVA VS INDICA EFFECTS

Differing effects & growth patterns

As medical marijuana legalization continues to gain traction throughout the United States, the plant’s genetic complexities are starting to be understood a lot better. Today, medical marijuana is cultivated into specific strains that target the individual needs of millions of patients.

Since the days that early ancestors of the human race took the cannabis plant and started breeding like-quality strains with one another, hundreds of specialized strains have been formulated by scientists to yield unique medicinal properties that target specific illnesses. In the wake of the original breeding of similar cannabis plants all of those centuries ago, two main classifications are still recognized to this day. These two types of medical marijuana plants are known as Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica.

Long before scientists started engineering hundreds of unique strains of medical marijuana, the first recorded use of the cannabis plant dates back to an early civilization of people that lived in what is now known today as Egypt. Back then, the sturdy and thick roots, leaves, and flowers of what were indigenous species of the cannabis plant were used for various everyday needs. Centuries before the invention of plastic and polyester, cannabis was that go-to when creating rope, fabrics, and textiles.